Response to Iyabo on Barack Obama

Iyabo, thank you for wonderful contribution, and most especially for your willingness to share with us your multi-dimensional background, as it relates to this discussion.

I agree with you that public figures and celebrities like Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and the new Miss USA, Rachel Renee Smith are helping to bring to the forefront of the media an increased awareness of third culture kids, and more specifically, the benefits and challenges of being biracial and/or bi-cultural TCKs. I loved it when my friend, Barbara Schaetti, recently exclaimed, "I get a kick out of this TCK/biracial/multinationally-influenced presence on the American stage!"   

And yes, I agree that "with our increasing easy access to information, travel and knowledge, most people are having third culture experiences on some scale." Ruth Van Reken and I write about this in our article, Third Culture Kids: Prototypes for Understanding Other Cross-Cultural Kids.

In my next post, I plan to open a discussion on the special issues for minority and biracial/multiracial TCAs/TCKs. I believe that it will be through discussions like this that we will better be able to increase our understandings about our similarities and differences in a way that is similar to your parents' outlook.

Comments

[kellie poulin]

Interesting perspective that speaks to the unified field of which we all are a part - Barack Obama is such a sane, aware and educated being - I just love how he does not react to what others are being reactive to, how he is a force for consciousness - something that TCK's offer in their global perspective and experience ..... I am Canadian by birth and since immigrating to US four years ago, have had the opportunity to see the value in the Canadian multi-cultural perspective in which I was raised. We are living the experience of 'the Global Village' and the more citizens of the world we develop, the greater chance for harmony and respect we engender....I can fully appreciate that reality in the experiences of TCK's although I am not one myself.